A tradition exists every fall that draws employees in from around Michiana to compete in a battle for glory and bragging rights…

The Annual Chili Cookoff.

On Wednesday, October 7th, Holladay Properties’ South Bend office hosted the event at the Holladay-owned Hilton Garden Inn on State Road 933. A group of 16 chefs comprised of employees from the South Bend and Portage commercial offices, as well as Maple Lane Apartments and West Jefferson Apartments, competed in the 2-tiered competition for the titles of Best Chili and Best Dessert.

Competitors arrived at 10:30 AM to drop off their dishes, in hopes of a victory. The Chili Cookoff Committee led by Amanda Domalewski, Melissa Fowler-Nelson, Cassie Sprigg, Shelby Seifer and Diane Sopczynski then removed the chilies from their crockpots, carefully placing them in unmarked chaffing dishes, so that the judging would be impartial. Desserts were also put out and prepared for distribution to the judges.

The first tier of the cookoff involved a panel of 6 judges who were charged with awarding a 1st, 2nd and 3rd place dish based on their scores for the following:

CHILI
Appearance, aroma, consistency, initial taste and aftertaste

DESSERT
Appearance, taste, difficulty and creativity

Tim Healy, Mary Baker and Becca Lusk took on the challenge of judging 11 hearty chilies, while Catherine Garrison, Tim Baker and Elliot Lusk judged 9 unique desserts. After sampling each one, they completed their scorecards and submitted them for tallying.

Judges Elliot Lusk and Mary Baker

With the judge’s tasting complete, it was time to open the dishes for general audience review. Employees were able to sample each chili and dessert, and then vote for one of each item to win the coveted People’s Choice award.

For 30+ years, Holladay Properties’ South Bend office has been a strong supporter of the United Way of St. Joseph County (UWSJC). Each Fall, our staff kicks off its Holladay Lives United Campaign by touring a community agency and witnessing the affect our donor dollars have on the programs the organization supports. On Wednesday, September 26th employees from the South Bend corporate headquarters, Holladay Construction Group and the Hilton Garden Inn gathered together at Hope Ministries with one common goal: to see how we could be a part of defeating poverty in our community.

The event began with a tour of the facility. First time attendee, Administrative Assistant Shelby Seifer, described her experience, below:

On the tour of Hope with my colleagues, we were shown each floor of the building and what each one entailed. We were told about the different types of families living in Hope Ministries and what they do to help them. Something that stood out to me was the programs that are provided for the adults and children living there. They not only have classes for adults but they also have a resource room, fitness center, healthcare services, and much more. As for children, they have a program similar to daycare and rooms where the children can go to play and be creative. On the third floor, they have a large lobby for children to ride bikes which I thought was pretty cool.

Hope really tries to make these families feel at home and help them get back on the right track.

– Shelby Seifer

After the tour, staff enjoyed lunch and a presentation from the Director of Hope Ministries, David Vanderveen. He shared with the group, the organization’s goal of transforming the lives of those who are struggling in the community, through healing. Hope Ministries provides 12-18 month housing, counseling, educational and career programs to give individuals and families who are actively seeking a better life a healthy path to long-term stability. To round out the event, the Director of the Center for the Homeless, Steve Camilerri, joined David, to talk about their collaborative initiative based around Trauma Informed Care: Building TRUST.

I grew up in South Bend and have spent a large amount of time downtown. I always knew what Hope Ministries was but I never knew exactly what they did for people in our community. After visiting Hope Ministries through our United Way Campaign, I gained more knowledge about the organization that I ever thought I would know.

– Shelby Seifer

Over 145,000 people were aided by UWSJC’s agency funded programs like Hope Ministries and the Center for the Homeless, in 2017. The South Bend office’s 2019 “Holladay Lives United Campaign” will end on October 10th. If you would like to contribute to the campaign, please contact Cassie at (574) 217-4499.

BY: CASSANDRA SPRIGG
ASSISTANT PROPERTY MANAGER – SOUTH BEND

It’s no secret to anyone who has ever worked for, or visited Holladay Properties…

We like to eat.

On Thursday August 30th, our South Bend corporate office hosted a cookout to celebrate the end of our 3rd quarter.

Assistant Property Manager Cassie Sprigg organizing the condiments.

Administrative Assistant Shelby Seifer and Assistant Property Manager Cassie Sprigg set up a table in the lobby of 227 South Main Street, and filled it with burger and hotdog buns, cheese, pickles, ketchup, mustard, barbecue sauce, mayonnaise, potato and macaroni salad, chips, fruit, pop, water and ice cream sandwiches, while Property Manager Elliot Lusk grilled enough burgers (beef and veggie) and hotdogs to feed 50 people.

“Grill-Master” and Property Manager Elliot Lusk firing up the first round of burgers.

With the weather being perfect at 67° and sunny, staff from Holladay Properties, Holladay Construction Group, Edward Jones and Northern Indiana Federal Community Defenders soon began arriving to enjoy a delicious meal under the sun.

You must be wondering: When’s the next Holladay Properties foodie event?

You won’t have to wait too long! Our Indianapolis office is hosting a Food Truck Event on September 5th from 11 AM – 2 PM. If you’re in the AmeriPlex or Decatur Township area, feel free to stop by and enjoy delectable handhelds from Edward’s Dashboard Diner!

BY: Jeff Ottman
Executive Vice President of Operations – Nashville

Were you expecting a more dignified title?

I have heard this being used more frequently. Intrigued, I did some deep research on a program called Google. You may have heard of it. They call it “Warrior Slang.” Feelings of courage, confidence, preparation, and shared suffering are brought forth through phrases meaning is deep, but summarized succinctly. Feelings of courage, confidence, preparation, and shared suffering are brought forth in these phrases. For me, the phrase “Embrace the Suck” represents a challenge and an affirmation.

Yes, this is a difficult challenge, but we can do it. We have done it before, and we can do it again.

We are entering our most active quarter. We refer to it as ‘Budget Time,’ but it is so much more. All teams are focused on year-end projections, next year’s budget, updating market dynamics, refreshing capital projects, developing staffing plans, finalizing lease assumptions, and determining what projects will be completed by year-end.

But wait, we have more. There is a Yardi Implementation, our internal projections and budget; new clients in Tampa and Kansas City; and finishing our Own Worst Enemy (“OWE”) initiatives.

Yes, we are busy. However, we know how to “Embrace the Suck.” We have proven that year in and year out. Thank you for your efforts. They are recognized and appreciated.

BY: Marcy Coffman
Executive Assistant, Office Manager – Nashville

To continue the theme of showing our gratitude to our vendors, our two Florida markets held their first Vendor Appreciation events in July. The events provide the opportunity to strengthen our relationships with those service personnel that really represent Holladay when they perform work on our properties and in the buildings we manage.

Jill Cooper of Blown Away takes a swing at a target.

The Central Florida event was held on July 18 at Topgolf Orlando. Kelly Dillard, Property Manager (Kissimmee/Orlando) organized the event, which was a huge success with more than 30 in attendance. All participants were extremely grateful for the recognition. “I am quite proud to work for an organization that understands the value in nurturing the relationship with our vendor partners and allows us to give back to those who give so much to us,” exclaimed Kelly.

“I want to thank you for the great time at Topgolf,” wrote David Lutz, Red Coats, Inc. “What a great place to sit, relax and forget about the cares of the world for a while!”

Vendors mingle with Holladay employees at Topgolf Orlando.

On July 19, the South Florida event was at a performance of Cirque du Soleil’s CRYSTAL at the BB&T Center, which was organized by Jacqueline Fermin, Director of Property Management (Florida). “The South Florida Vendor Appreciation event was appreciated and enjoyed by all,” expressed Jackie. “Many of the vendors said that it was the first time in the history of their career that a property management firm hosted an event on their behalf to thank them for their service.”

In a handwritten note from Arely Castellon, Sparkle Team, “What a wonderful evening! That Holladay took the time, effort and expense to thank your vendors is unheard of and says so much about your company. It is truly a pleasure working with you and your team—you’ve got great people! Thank you for the appreciation—we love being your partner!”

Vendors and Holladay employees taken before the Cirque du Soleil performance with Trish Nowicki of Wayne Automatic Fire Sprinklers (2nd row, 4th from left) and Dawn Bedgood and Edwin Contreras of DWK Industries (2nd row, 7th and 8th from left).

“When we first received the invite, we were so impressed that Holladay took the time and effort to plan an event for their service providers. We’ve never seen anything like it in our 15 years of business here in South Florida,” said Lynda Bowie, Modern Image Landscape & Design. “We also enjoyed meeting your leadership and were amazed they came all the way from Nashville to meet all of us.”

Bill Wiener, Airstron, wrote, “I want to thank you for putting together this wonderful event. Great show, great food and great drinks!”

Giving back to the community has always been a top priority for Holladay Properties. One of our ways of serving others in the month of July was the corporate office’s 2018 Summer Blood Drive sponsored by the South Bend Medical Foundation.

Did you know that every 2 seconds someone in the United States needs blood? Just one car accident victim can require up to 100 pints of blood. About 750 whole blood donations are needed each week in the South Bend community to maintain an adequate supply for area hospitals and doctor offices. It is extremely important for us to do our part in helping our medical professionals collect the supplies they need.

For almost two months before the drive, recruiting efforts began to retrieve as many donors as possible. Posters were made, announcements were sent out to both staff and our downtown tenants, and the donor list began filling up.

On July 25th, the South Bend Medical Foundation parked their Bloodmobile in our executive parking spaces, prepared to take our donations. Members of the Holladay staff, neighboring businesses, and tenants from our downtown South Bend properties donated blood to help those in need. A total of 13 whole blood donations were accepted this year which has the potential to save 39 lives!

We would like to thank Erin Noonan, Blood Donor Recruitment Specialist, from the South Bend Medical Foundation for coordinating the drive as well as her team for bringing the Bloodmobile out and making sure it ran smoothly. At Holladay Properties, we look for any opportunity to serve those in our community and plan on continuing to do so in the years to come.